The Four Agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz

Viviana Martin-Gomez

Summary

This book is about four agreements everyone should make in order to live their lives to its full potential with total freedom. The first chapter explains how our lives are a dream and how boundaries are imposed on us since the beginning of our existence and after a period of time, we impose those boundaries on ourselves because it becomes part of us. The following are the four agreements he focuses this book on; 1. Be Impeccable with Your Word, 2. Don't Take Anything Personally, 3. Don't Make Assumptions, and 4. Always Do Your Best. The first agreement is about the power our speech has on others and ourselves, everything we say and how we say it matters. We should use our words for the good of all instead of using it to poison. The second agreement tells the reader to not give too much importance to what others do, it is a reflection of them and their beliefs, not us and our beliefs. The third agreement mentions the human tendency to assume. We should not assume because by assuming we tend to believe in a misunderstanding which only leads to problems when we could easily ask for a clarification. The fourth agreement is about doing our best to keep the previous 3 agreements.

Agreement

According to the author, everything we have done since we were born is because of an agreement. We agreed to listen to others and please them, therefore hiding our true selves. As well as the main focus of this book the 4 agreements we should make in order to better and free ourselves.

Nothing other people do is because of you

We always take too much offence from other people's actions. What others say or do to us represents them, not us. Their actions have nothing to do with us. If they are mean or they hurt you, they are the reason behind that action, not you.

We have to be what we are, so we don't have to present a false image.

We have to let our true selves free. We tend to give other people's opinions and perceptions of normality that we try to be like them and hide who we are in order to be accepted by everyone. Instead, we should accept ourselves and give the world the opportunity to know our beautiful souls.

Agreement

According to the author, everything we have done since we were born is because of an agreement. We agreed to listen to others and please them, therefore hiding our true selves. As well as the main focus of this book the 4 agreements we should make in order to better and free ourselves.

Nothing other people do is because of you

We always take too much offence from other people's actions. What others say or do to us represents them, not us. Their actions have nothing to do with us. If they are mean or they hurt you, they are the reason behind that action, not you.

We have to be what we are, so we don't have to present a false image.

We have to let our true selves free. We tend to give other people's opinions and perceptions of normality that we try to be like them and hide who we are in order to be accepted by everyone. Instead, we should accept ourselves and give the world the opportunity to know our beautiful souls.

The Most Memorable

Agree to disagree...I agree with the four agreements as I simplified them in the summary, but I do not agree with the author's explanation of the human life and all of the agreements. Yes, most of our beliefs are imposed by our parents and society from a young age but that does not mean that we are domesticated like a pet. I believe once we grow up we decide what parts of our lives should stay and which ones need to be removed or tweaked. I might be taking this personally but I did not appreciate the way he spoke about certain topics, especially since one of the four agreements is to not

Questions Left Unanswered

Like I mentioned before, I don't really agree with the authors take on the way humanity lives their lives. I wonder how many readers agree with his views.

Vocabulary

Tyranny: it is a word to describe a cruel or oppressive leadership.

Clairvoyant: a person who is able to see events from the future or from a paranormal dimension.

Succumb: to give in.

Recommendation

This book is typically labeled as a self-growth book. It is a really short book, but it is definitely not a light read. It is probably best for a mature reader with an open mind to many things because it does mention sensitive topics like religion and other beliefs.